The truth -- for a change

It's been a busy week for jounalists exposing the Gulen scam, with two different newspapers publishing stories about the "Gulen-inspired schools."

We have to believe that the boys are getting just a tad bit uncomfortable with all of their newfounded publicity. They are used to manipulating the propaganda and public relations machines that have been running their "we are the best and smartest," campaigns, so this little change in direction must be causing them a little indigestion (we hear the peppermint tea is a good remedy for that).

And we think it's really swell that our government officials are finally speaking out about the ongoing investigations that are actually taking place (and it only took 10 years).But we are a bit confused about Sam Ucan's claim (see the Dayton story) that the Department of Labor investigated but dismissed claims that the boys were extorting money from their H1-B employees. Sorry Sam, but that just isn't true --- it's still being investigated, and surely has not been "dismissed." And as for his claim that extorting employees is "a very common thing in this country," newsflash Sam, it's not commonplace and as you know -- surely not legal.

And we like how Sam has made the decision to hire an American Director -- as he admits -- for the first time. Thanks a bunch Sam, this is -- after all -- America, and the students are Americans, and it's pretty much a no-brainer that Americans should be running American schools. It only took him 10 years and a little pressure from government agencies to figure that out. Ten years seems to be the magic number.We are including the two articles below:http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110320_U_S__charter-school_network_with_Turkish_link_draws_federal_attention.htmlU.S. charter-school network with Turkish link draws federal attentionBy Martha Woodall and Claudio Gatti INQUIRER STAFF WRITER FOR THE INQUIRERFethullah Gulen is a major Islamic political figure in Turkey, but he lives in self-imposed exile in a Poconos enclave and gained his green card by convincing a federal judge in Philadelphia that he was an influential educational figure in the United States.As evidence, his lawyer pointed to the charter schools, now more than 120 in 25 states, that his followers - Turkish scientists, engineers, and businessmen - have opened, including Truebright Science Academy in North Philadelphia and another charter in State College, Pa.The schools are funded with millions of taxpayer dollars. Truebright alone receives more than $3 million from the Philadelphia School District for its 348 pupils. Tansu Cidav, the acting chief executive officer, described it as a regular public school."Charter schools are public schools," he said. "We follow the state curriculum."But federal agencies - including the FBI and the Departments of Labor and Education - are investigating whether some charter school employees are kicking back part of their salaries to a Muslim movement founded by Gulen known as Hizmet, or Service, according to knowledgeable sources.Unlike in Turkey, where Gulen's followers have been accused of pushing for an authoritarian Islamic state, there is no indication the American charter network has a religious agenda in the classroom.Religious scholars consider the Gulen strain of Islam moderate, and the investigation has no link to terrorism. Rather, it is focused on whether hundreds of Turkish teachers, administrators, and other staffers employed under the H1B visa program are misusing taxpayer money.Federal officials declined to comment on the nationwide inquiry, which is being coordinated by prosecutors in Pennsylvania's Middle District in Scranton. A former leader of the parents' group at the State College school confirmed that federal authorities had interviewed her.Bekir Aksoy, who acts as Gulen's spokesman, said Friday that he knew nothing about charter schools or an investigation.Aksoy, president of the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center in Saylorsburg, Pa., where Gulen lives, said Gulen, who is in his early 70s, "has no connection with any of the schools," although he might have inspired the people who founded them.Another aim of the Gulen schools, a federal official said, is fostering goodwill toward Turkey, which is led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the pro-Islamic prime minister, whose government recently detained journalists after they alleged that Gulen followers were infiltrating security agencies.Gulen schools are among the nation's largest users of the H1B visas. In 2009, the schools received government approvals for 684 visas - more than Google Inc. (440) but fewer than a technology powerhouse such as Intel Corp. (1,203).The visas are used to attract foreign workers with math, science, and technology skills to jobs for which there are shortages of qualified American workers. Officials at some of the charter schools, which specialize in math and science, have said they needed to fill teaching spots with Turks, according to parents and former staffers.Ruth Hocker, former president of the parents' group at the Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School in State College, began asking questions when popular, certified American teachers were replaced by uncertified Turkish men who often spoke limited English and were paid higher salaries. Most were placed in math and science classes."They would tell us they couldn't find qualified American teachers," Hocker said.That made no sense in Pennsylvania State University's hometown, she said: "They graduate here every year."Other school parents described how uncertified teachers on H1B visas were moved from one charter school to another when their "emergency" teaching credentials expired and told of a pattern of sudden turnovers of Turkish business managers, administrators, and board members.The charter school application that Truebright filed with the Philadelphia School District in 2005 mentioned that its founders helped start similar schools in Ohio, California, and Paterson, N.J.Shana Kemp, a School District spokeswoman, said that the district had just learned Riza Ulker, Truebright's permanent CEO, was on extended sick leave and that it would look into that. She said district officials knew nothing about a federal investigation of these charter schools.Further evidence of the ties comes from a disaffected former teacher from Turkey who told federal investigators that the Gulen Movement had divided the United States into five regions, according to knowledgeable sources. A general manager in each coordinates the activities of the schools and related foundations and cultural centers, he told authorities.Ohio, California, and Texas have the largest numbers of Gulen-related schools. Ohio has 19, which are operated by Concept Schools Inc., and most are known as Horizon Science Academies. There are 14 in California operated by the Magnolia Foundation. Texas has 33 known as Harmony schools, run by the Cosmos Foundation.In their investigation, federal authorities have obtained copies of several e-mails that indicate the charter schools are tied to Hizmet and may be controlled by it:One activist sent an e-mail Aug. 30, 2007, to administrators at four schools and the president of Concept Schools in which he mentioned "Hizmet business" and several problems that needed to be addressed so that "Hizmet will not suffer."And the disaffected teacher who described the five regions gave authorities a document called a tuzuk, which resembles a contract and prescribes how much money Turkish teachers are supposed to return to Hizmet.State auditors in Ohio found that a number of schools had "illegally expended" public funding to pay legal, immigration, and air-travel fees for nonemployees and retained teachers who lacked proper licenses. Audited records from the Horizon Science Academy in Cincinnati in May 2009 also say that "for the period of time under audit, 47 percent (nine of 19) of the school's teachers were not properly licensed.The same records show that the founder of Horizon Cincinnati was listed as the CEO of the school's management firm and as president of the school's property owner.The American charter schools were a central part of Gulen's argument that won him a green card after the Department of Homeland Security ruled that he did not meet the qualifications of an "alien of extraordinary ability" to receive a special visa.In a lawsuit Gulen filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia in 2007 challenging the denial, his attorneys wrote: "In his position as the founder and head of the Gulen Movement, Mr. Gulen has overseen the establishment of a conglomeration of schools throughout the world, in Europe, Central Asia, and the United States."His attorneys also referred to a letter of support from a theology professor in Illinois who described Gulen as "a leader of award-winning schools for underserved children around the world, including many schools in the major cities in America."On July 16, 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Stewart Dalzell ruled that Gulen met the requirements for a green card.Hocker, the State College parent, said the current CEO had assured her the school had no ties to Gulen.Rather, he told her that Gulen had inspired him to go into education and that Turkey "wanted to be known for teaching, the way you would think of India" for information technology, Hocker said.But she noted that when the school's founding CEO disappeared, his successor arrived from the Buffalo Academy of Science, another Gulen school. The dean of academics came from a related school in New Jersey. Ulker, Truebright's, CEO, was one of the school's founders and is a board member."If you start looking at their names, you can connect them back to all the other charter schools and Gulen groups," Hocker said.She later withdrew her three children over concerns about secrecy and finances.A sister school - Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania - is scheduled to open outside Pittsburgh in the fall.(Young Scholars in State College and Western Pennsylvania are not connected to the Young Scholars Charter School in North Philadelphia.)Truebright, at 926 W. Sedgley Ave., opened in 2007, enrolls seventh through 12th graders, and is about to hold its first graduation. Ninety percent of its students are African American. The school has met the academic standards of the federal No Child Left Behind Law the last two years.Cidav, the acting CEO, came from the Harmony Science Academy in Austin, Texas. He said he could not comment on behalf of the school. He referred all questions to Ulker, who Cidav said had gone back to Turkey for a family emergency after Christmas and was not expected back until July. Board Chairman Baki Acikel did not respond to an e-mail request for comment.Before Ulker's abrupt departure, he was involved in failed attempts to open charters in Camden and Allentown.He also applied for Truebright to become one of the charter operators selected to take over failing Philadelphia schools as part of Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman's Imagine 2014 initiative. In late December, Truebright was one of 10 organizations the district deemed "not qualified" for further consideration.”http://m.daytondailynews.com/dayton/db_101691/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=4MURIs0v&detailindex=1&pn=0&ps=8&full=true#displayIslam-inspired schools growing in OhioBy Tom Beyerlein and Margo Rutledge Kissell"DAYTON — A fast-growing educational movement inspired by a reclusive Islamic imam has opened charter schools throughout the country, including three Horizon Science Academies in Dayton.The Chicago-based Concept Schools runs 19 Ohio charter schools, becoming one of the state’s largest operators of publicly funded charters. It was founded by Turkish educators inspired by a religious leader, scholar and poet Fethullah Gülen, who preaches a philosophy of nonviolence, interfaith dialogue and personal success through education in math and the sciences. The schools’ operators say they don’t push a religious agenda.The Gülen movement has drawn praise and criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. Former President Clinton and former President Reagan’s secretary of state, James Baker, are among its supporters, lauding the movement’s success in educating kids in tough urban environments. But conservative bloggers accuse Gülen followers of trying to brainwash kids in the ways of radical Islam, and teachers union officials say the schools misuse the H-1B visa program to import Turkish teachers, bypassing qualified Americans.“We have folks who are ... fully capable, yet Ohio tax dollars are paying salaries of people coming in on visas,” Ohio Federation of Teachers President Sue Taylor said. “There just is something terribly amiss with that picture.”Concept Vice President Salim Ucan said a demanding curriculum, high expectations, strict discipline and longer classroom hours are parts of a recipe that has allowed some inner-city Concept schools to achieve impressive test scores and college placement rates.One of its Cleveland schools is the only Ohio charter to earn a rating of excellent with distinction, but two of its three Dayton schools are on academic watch. The Ohio schools received more than $27 million in state funding in fiscal 2010, according to the state department of education.Launched in 1999, Concept was the first group of educators to start a Gülen-inspired U.S. charter school, in Cleveland. Gülen’s followers generally keep a low public profile and there’s no official count of Gülen-inspired schools, but experts say there now are more than 100 schools in 20 states, typically operated by unrelated, nonprofit organizations. By one count, Ohio is second only to Texas in the number of Gülen schools.Ucan said 90 percent of Concept’s teachers are American in the current school year. Concept’s website says that, at one time, 25 percent of its teachers were foreign but Ucan said “as the schools grew, we slowed down on hiring international teachers.”As publicly funded schools, he noted, they are forbidden to push religion. A U.S. Department of Education official said no Gülen school in the nation has been found to violate that rule.“You’re always going to fear what you don’t know,” said Mimi Cox, who sends her three children to Horizon academies in Dayton. “Nobody is pushing their religion on anybody.”Ucan said it shouldn’t matter whether the schools are Gülen-inspired “as long as no one is imposing any ideas upon anyone. That’s what makes America America.”Muslim cleric condemns terrorismFethullah Gülen has been described as Turkey’s most influential thinker, espousing a moderate Muslim ideology that condemns terrorism and embraces understanding between faiths.Born in 1941, Gülen adheres to the mystical Muslim path of Sufiism, and is described by scholars as the modern link to Turkey’s Ottoman tradition. His influences include the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, whose work spawned the whirling dervishes.Gülen is a strong believer in math, science and technology education, teaching Turkish youth they “could be modern and still be good Muslims,” said University of Houston sociology Professor Helen Rose Ebaugh, author of a 2009 book about Gülen. “His message really caught on quickly. There are schools in 121 countries.”The university’s Gülen Institute credits the schools, which began in 1974, with making university education available to those outside Turkey’s ruling class. By 1990, movement members began founding schools and universities outside Turkey itself. Turkish Gülen followers also own a bank, a wire service, Turkey’s largest newspaper, a television network, a radio station and publishing companies.Gülen came to the U.S. for medical treatment in 1999 and has remained here, living a reportedly spartan life at a remote Pennsylvania retreat. Turkish officials charged him in absentia with trying to establish an Islamic state in the secular nation, charges that were dropped in 2008.U.S. Homeland Security sought to block permanent-resident status for Gülen in 2007, the Wall Street Journal reported, but he won on appeal.He is said to be in poor health and rarely grants interviews. In his first interview with a U.S. newspaper, the Wall Street Journal, in mid-2010, Gülen said, “I do not consider myself someone who has followers.” But various estimates have placed his following at between 3 million and 8 million.In written responses to questions from USA Today, Gülen said he doesn’t know any of the leaders of the schools inspired by his teachings and has no involvement with the schools. “If they are successful in contributing to human well-being, love, social peace and harmony, I would applaud that,” he said.The GOP-dominated Texas State Senate in January recognized Gülen “for his ongoing and inspirational contributions to the promotion of global peace and understanding.”Such praise hasn’t silenced criticism, with bloggers accusing the movement of being a cult-like enterprise to spread radical Islamic beliefs around the world.Writing for the website Family Security Matters, conservative writer Paul Williams said “the schools reportedly are the breeding grounds for the Gülen movement in America and Fethullah Gülen’s long-range plan to create a universal caliphate.” A caliphate is the jurisdiction of Muslim leaders.“A lot of this (criticism) is more fear than based on reality or data,” Ebaugh said.D. Paul Johnson, a sociology professor at Texas Tech University, who visited Gülen schools in Turkey in 2008, said, “I see them in a positive light. They’re hoping to present an image of Muslims in America that differs from the stereotypes that have arisen since 9/11.”Laura Leming, who chairs the University of Dayton’s sociology department, said, “People have raised the question, ‘Where is the moderate voice of Islam?’ The Gülen people would say, ‘This is the moderate voice of Islam.’ ”High expectations but also high teacher turnover In many ways, the Horizon Science Academy-Dayton High School isn’t so different than any public school. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution is on display, as are pictures of the presidents and the Iwo Jima flag-raising.The school, which opened in 2009, also prominently displays photographs of some of the 253 students who have been accepted to college or received scholarship offers.Scott Pearson, acting director of charter school programs for the U.S. Department of Education, said despite the academic watch ratings of two Dayton schools, Horizon often outperforms traditional public schools with comparable low-income, minority student demographics.Ucan said the Concept schools provide about 25 percent more instructional time than traditional public schools and offer Saturday school for students who are struggling or want a more accelerated course.High expectations of students is the key ingredient, according to Ucan.Some students, he said, “lost that belief in themselves. Once they see people around them believing in them, they start believing in themselves, too. They’re good kids, they’re smart kids. They’re just behind academically.”Senior Ithiyl Palmer, 18, of Dayton, who has had three scholarship offers and is interested in studying electrical engineering in college, said he likes the diverse culture and accelerated pace at Horizon. He said one drawback is that Concept’s growth has resulted in high teacher turnover, with instructors moving to other Concept schools.Many of the 545 students in the three Dayton Horizon schools — which include two elementaries — are blacks from low-income neighborhoods, but the schools also draw a significant number of Turkish or Russian immigrants.Allegations of discriminationOfficials of the American Federation of Teachers say Concept officials needlessly import Turkish teachers using H-1B visas, pay them more than American teachers and discriminate against Americans when making promotions.From fiscal 2008-2010, Horizon schools in Ohio applied for 24 new H-1B visas and 15 renewals for teachers whose three-year visas had expired, according to U.S. Homeland Security.Data from the Buckeye Institute, a conservative think tank, show foreign teachers often are the most highly paid at Ohio’s Horizon Science Academies. Of 19 teachers listed for Horizon-Dayton, six of the seven earning more than $35,000 in 2010 are Turkish. Turks made $38,200-$50,000, while the others, with one exception, made $26,000-$32,000.“When you find out that people who are less qualified yet make $12,000 to $14,000 more than you, how are you supposed to feel?” said former Horizon-Dayton High School teacher Andrea Ross.Ucan said Concept had trouble finding American teachers who were “high quality with phenomenal content knowledge,” so they used visas to hire Turkish teachers who were recommended to them. He said Concept relies less on visas since the recession hit and expanded the pool of qualified teachers. This fall, he said, Concept will hire its first non-Turkish principal, a woman.“I don’t care who they are or where they come from,” he said, “as long as they serve my kids.”He said visa workers’ pay is typically higher than American workers’ because federal law requires employers to pay visa workers by prevailing wage standards.The Labor Department investigated and dismissed allegations that Concept pressured Turkish visa teachers at a Cleveland Horizon school to return part of their pay to Concept, Ucan said. “That’s a very common fraud in this country. That’s illegal and we do not do that.”Joshua D. Hendrick, who has studied the Gülen movement, said it relies on the support of a “very tight-knit group of deeply loyal and supportive followers who constitute the upper echelons.” He said Gülen followers’ “preference for ambiguity” when talking about their schools isn’t playing well in the United States. “It is and will likely continue to prove to be somewhat of an Achille’s heel here,” he said.UD Professor Leming acknowledged there’s much distrust of the Gülen movement in the U.S. But she said Gülen’s philosophy isn’t so different than the teachings of Catholicism.“This sounds pretty Marianist to me: ‘Let’s dedicate our resources to making the world a better place,’” she said."